Key Of The Flaming Heavens
by nalunatics
Summary: In the magical Kingdom of Fiore there is a hierarchy set for the citizens. The royals, nobles, knights, townspeople, and traveling nomads- the lowest of the system and looked down upon in society. But when Lucy Heartfilia, a noble, finds her fate entwined in the life of traveling nomad, Natsu Dragneel, what obstacles will they face? And what danger lurks in the secrets of Fiore?
1. Chapter 1

In the Kingdom of Fiore holds many powerful mage families. There is the royal Fiore family, of course, then there are the nobles: very high class, rich, and proper families. There were then the families of knights, respected by everyone for their valiant duties, living close by the kingdom's castle. Finally, there were the villagers that resided near the outskirts of the kingdom where they sold goods to the townspeople and lead an average life. Magic ran throughout the kingdom, powerful mages banded together to form guilds or travelled together. Lastly, there were the paupers or nomads of the kingdom; they were truly treated like the scum of the establishment. They were the lowest of the hierarchy of the kingdom, the higher families ranked in status, the better the life they lead. There wasn't much a person could do about the type of family they were born into, they just had to survive. The kingdom of Fiore was where a new adventure began and it all started with the noble Heartfilia family, namely focused on their daughter, Lucy Heartfilia.

Lucy was practically gasping for breath as Spetto tightened her corset. The unbearably tight dress that splayed out in a large circle around her drove Lucy made.

"Geez, Mrs. Spetto, I can't breathe!" Lucy exclaimed and the old, purple haired woman smiled at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry Miss Lucy." She apologized and loosened the ties slightly. "I must be forgetting my own strength!" The frailer woman joked and Lucy couldn't help but smile in return.

"It's okay, I was just fearing that I might not be able to speak at my father's meeting today." Lucy's face turned from cheery to grim. Her father had summoned her to his study the previous night to inform her that she needed to attend a meeting early the next day.

"Now, don't have such a sad look! A pretty girl like you must always keep her composure." Spetto advised her and Lucy's gaze softened.

"If you say so, Mrs. Spetto." Lucy agreed half heartedly and tested out the new tightness of her dress. "Much better. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, remember, you have a lesson with Bero later today after your father's meeting, don't forget your keys." Spetto smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she reminded Lucy.

"I wouldn't dream of forgetting them." Lucy smiled and fastened her key belt under the frilly cloth of one of the many colorful dresses her father made her wear. She was supposed to be _elegant_ and _poised_ to represent the Heartfilia Konzern but, it just made Lucy rue the outfits even more.

"Alright, let's get going, you need to be in your father's office in five minutes!" Mrs. Spetto worried and Lucy laughed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…"

Lucy eventually made it to the office that had _Jude_ scribed in gold lettering on the door with Mrs. Spetto scurrying behind her, and giving her one more look over before heading back off to the maid's corridors. Lucy tentatively knocked, feeling a wave of uneasiness wash over her; she could hear other voices inside the room other than her father's.

"Father?" Lucy called out softly, her curled hair annoyingly brushing against her face.

"Come in." Was the only answer and Lucy obediently turned the knob and pushed her way inside the room. Standing at her father's desk were multiple young men that looked around eighteen, _her age_.

"W-what can I do for you, Father? What is this meeting?" Lucy asked though she was afraid that she knew the answer.

"Well, Lucy, these are the sons of a few of my business partners. Sons of _nobles_." Jude warned discretely and Lucy could feel the anger bubbling in her stomach. "Possible suitors for you."

"And why wasn't I informed about this until now?" Lucy challenged, paying no attention to make her anger unknown.

"There would be no point." Jude dismissed her, his eyes glaring dangerously at her. "Gentlemen, would you please excuse us for a moment?" He gestured to the door and the filed out of the tense room. Lucy was left facing her father's cold stare, her chest was feeling constricted once more under the weight of the dress.

"Lucy, you are to pick one before the end of the week. You are getting too old for this childish nonsense!" Jude ordered and Lucy flinched at his words.

"Father, I have no desire to marry any of them, I don't even know them!" Lucy protested, angry tears spiking at the corners of her eyes.

"Lucy!" Just growled. "I told you I don't want to hear any excuses! The Heartfilia fortune needs to be in safe hands and it isn't in just yours!"

"Mother wouldn't have made me do this!" Lucy spat, knowing that her father would be stricken by her words.

"You _dare_ bring up your mother? She isn't here so you must listen to me!" Jude bellowed and Lucy was hot under his demanding gaze.

"I am tired of this, Father. I do not want to marry any of these men and you can't force me to do so!" Lucy's eyes were becoming blurry but she managed to keep her composure. "How can you really do this to me? You've already kept me locked away like some animal! I'm not allowed to attend school or make any friends! You expect me to just pick a stranger to marry for the rest of my life, how is any of this fair to me?" Lucy questioned.

"It doesn't need to be fair, we need financial security and it is your duty to uphold that!" Jude roared from his large, leather chair.

"Well, forget it. I will not do that. All you care about is your money and power, that's all you want! You don't care about me!" Lucy shouted back and her father's gaze turned into pure ferocity.

" _Are you defying my word?_ " Jude's voice was dangerously quite making Lucy swallow hard.

"If that's what you want to call me standing up for my rights then, yes, I am."

"We are not done discussing this." Jude snarled and Lucy turned, rushing at the door. "You can't run away from this, Lucy! Be ready to be wed by the end of the week!" Lucy's tears were now streaming full force down her reddened cheeks. She ignored the boys that had obviously heard their conversation and ran all the way back to her room past a concerned Ribon who was leaving the library for some breakfast.

"Miss Lucy, my, are you alright?" Ribon questioned her and Lucy continued on down the hall.

"Fine, Ribon." Lucy curtly answered the short man though, feeling bad about being rudeness of her sentence.

"Wait!" Ribon called and scurried along side her. "Is it your Father?" He asked quietly and Lucy kept her face grim in response.

"I'll be in my room, okay? But not for long. C-can you gather Mrs. Spetto, Bero, Aed, and yourself and meet me in my room in ten minutes?" Lucy pleaded with him with her eyes and Ribon swallowed thickly, nodding. The staff at the Heartfilia Mansion had been more of a family than her father had ever been. It had only gotten worse since her mother passed and Lucy often found herself in a state of turmoil. She longed for the outside world, the last time she had been into town had been years ago, and she had no friends her age. Mrs. Spetto had always talked about the guild, Fairy Tail, in the town of Magnolia. Lucy was a mage, a Celestial Spirit mage, just as her mother, and she figured she could join a wizarding guild or at least travel with other mages. She decided she would focus on just making a better life for herself and if that meant leaving her family's home then, so be it.

Lucy was quickly shoving her belongings into a few bags when she heard a small knock on her door with a soft, "Miss Lucy?" following it. Opening the door, she was met with Mrs. Spetto, her loving maid, Bero, her teacher, Aed, the amazing cook of the mansion, and Ribon, the librarian who always supplied Lucy with the best literature. She was going to miss them so much.

"Thank you all for coming." Lucy praised them, she had so much love for every one of them, it just broke her heart to leave.

"Is something happening, Miss Lucy?" Spetto questioned in a small, worried voice. The others mirrored her concern and looked at her with such kind eyes that Lucy almost burst into tears right then.

"Y-yes… Father has decided he wants wants me to choose… A husband by the end of the week… I just, maybe I'm being childish but, I just can't take it anymore!" Lucy cried out, her emotions finally spilling out. "I-I'm going to be leaving b-but I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to all of you…"

"Oh, Lucy…" Bero murmured sadly, his old eyes shining with grief.

"Oh, heavens!" Mrs. Spetto let out a quiet sob and Bero put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry to do this. Believe me, I don't want to but, I need to make a life for myself. I can't be trapped by my father any longer."

"We, unfortunately, figured this day would come but we didn't think so soon…" Ribon admitted sadly.

"Ah, who will I make rice balls with happy faces on them for now?" Aed said, smiling sadly at her.

"Please, forgive me… I will write to you all when I can." Lucy promised, tears rolling down her cheeks again. "Whatever you do, do not let my father known that you know about my leaving." Lucy begged. "I just needed to say goodbye." The four people in front of her, her family, nodded sorrowfully.

"Miss Lucy?" Mrs. Spetto spoke up softly, wiping away tears that had soaked her eyes. "Please, take this with you." She scurried over to the corner of Lucy's room and swung open a painting revealing a safe that Lucy never knew about.

"What is that?" Lucy gasped.

"Forgive me, your father didn't want you to know about this but, these are mementos from your mother. I want you to take her journal," Spetto handed her a worn, leather bound notebook with _Layla_ written across the front. "Also, please take the pendant Lady Layla wore, I'm sure she'd want you to have it." She also handed Lucy a necklace with a small, blue, oval jewel hanging from it. It sparkled in the way of the night sky with specks that caught the light looking like stars. Lucy quickly fastened it around her neck and smiled and Mrs. Spetto.

"Thank you so much. I never knew there was all of this left from my mother, this makes me so happy."

"There's also this," Mrs. Spetto reached into the wall and pulled out a small brown sack with a notecard hanging from it. "This I know is for you. Lady Layla… She made sure to have something for you before…" Spetto trailed off and handed Lucy the bag with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." Lucy whispered whole heartedly and squeezed Mrs. Spetto into a tight embrace. She did the same with the other three men in the room, bidding them a tearful goodbye.

"I know I will see you all again. Please don't be sad, I promise I'll be back some day." Lucy then turned and left for the exit. She wouldn't look back, she couldn't, she needed to make a better life for herself and she wasn't going to feel bad for doing so. She needed to make her own way and that's just what she was going to do.

Lucy had made one stop at her mother's grave before boarding a train and headed on her way to Magnolia. That was her main destination but, Lucy decided that she would make stops in various different town; she wanted to see _everything_. She had changed her clothes so that she would fit in better with the townspeople. She wore a simple blue and white top paired with a blue skirt, and wore brown boots with socks up to her thighs. Her keys were strapped to her side along with her handbag that held her mother's journal and the small sack from the safe. Lucy hadn't brought much with her besides a few other pairs of clothing and a few nonessential items considering that most of her clothes consisted of large, fancy dresses and she hadn't gone out enough to have gathered many materialistic items.

The first town that she decided that she'd spend some time in was one called Balsam Village. It was large, flashy, and filled with oriental architecture; it was amazing to Lucy, she had never seen anything like it. Lucy had had some jewel saved up and had brought it all with her so, she was able to afford a small room at the Honseka Inn near the outskirts of the village. It was early afternoon so, Lucy got settled into her room and decided to explore the town. There were so many new sights and sounds, so many faces, no stuffy clothing; everyone looked so happy. It was refreshing, for Lucy, to not be cooped up in a big mansion and not being able to leave the courtyard.

"Everything's so beautiful here…" Lucy murmured to herself, heading towards the town center.

"Alright, ladies, you're all invited, let's go, let's go!" A man's voice drifted from a group of girls. As Lucy got closer she saw a tall, dark haired man, ushering the girls to a building across the cobblestoned street.

"It's our greatest party yet, please come!" He was saying and Lucy suddenly felt a firm grip around her upper arm.

"Hey! What the-?" Lucy exclaimed and looked up to meet the stare of a chucky man guiding her with the rest of the girls.

"C'mon, don't just stand there starin'! Get a move on or boss'll get made." He gruffly ordered her and Lucy tore her arm away from the burly man.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere! I was just walking through and-" Lucy was cut off by the man shoving her with the other group of girls that seemed to be dazed and following the tall man blindly.

"Get movin'." The large man ordered her once more and Lucy struggled to get out of the swarm of women but it was difficult with this other man blocking her way.

"Like hell! Let me out!" Lucy tried to squeeze herself past but it was no use. It was then that the man tried to pick her up but was struck down by a quick fist to the face.

"What the hell?" The man that had been blocking her was momentarily stunned and Lucy took the advantage to skip out of the man's reach, standing safely next to her savior.

"Hands off, buddy." A raspy voice warned the meaty man who was just getting up from the ground.

"What do we have here? A lowly traveler coming to the rescue? How pathetic!" He spat and Lucy finally got a good look at the person who saved her. He was about a head taller than Lucy, with a dark cloak wrapped around his shoulders that extended to his calves but his arms were bare exposing the lean muscle of his biceps and forearms. He had many bags dangling from his back and belt and was sporting thick wrist bands on both of his wrists. What struck Lucy the most was his cherry blossom pink hair and his kind, boyish features. His sharp green-gray eyes were focusing hard on the man in front of him, his brows creased together scornfully.

"Think of me what ya want but, keep your hands off." His gruff voice ordered once again and Lucy stood silently next to him.

"And, what are you going to do about it? Filthy nomad." The man spat and the boy next to her suddenly smirked.

"Do you really want to find out?" He challenged and suddenly his fists were ablaze making Lucy gasp and take a step back. The man's eyes grew wide and he had a look of sudden realization.

"Y-you're…!" The man stammered and quickly ran off to catch up with the group of girls.

"Wow…" Lucy whispered in amazement. "Th-thank you!" She turned to the boy who placed a curious gaze down at her.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He questioned curiously and Lucy shook her head slowly.

"N-no… Today was my first day here." Lucy admitted.

"Don't ever go off with those men. I wouldn't even come to this part of town, it's bad news. Not unless you have protection." The boy warned.

"Hey, I'm not totally helpless! I'm a mage too, you know!" Lucy shot back defiantly and the boy smirked.

"You didn't look like you were winnin' just now but hey, whatever makes ya happy." Lucy frowned in annoyance.

"Anyways, thank you so much for getting me out of that mess… I'm Lucy."

"Natsu. Nice to meet you and no problem." He gave her a toothy grin.

"Hey, is it true…? Are you a nomad? A traveling mage?" This seemed to make Natsu flinch and Lucy realized that people like him were often scrutinized in the eye of the kingdom. "Oh, no! I-I'm sorry I don't mean anything bad by that."

"S'fine. Yeah, I am." Natsu muttered, a hand moving to the back of his neck nervously.

"Let me make this all up to you, okay?" Lucy promised, her eyes wide in delight and he looked over at her curiously.

"Huh?"

"Are you hungry? Let me take you to lunch!" Lucy insisted and their conversation was interrupted by Natsu's stomach growling loudly making Lucy giggle. "I guess it's a deal then."

"Alright, Luigi. I'll show ya around after so you stay out of trouble." Natsu grinned at her.

"Hey, the name's Lucy!"

"Whatever, weirdo."


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy watched as the strange boy sat down in front of her; they had decided to eat at the bustling Super Express Restaurant in the center of Balsam, well away from the men who were ushering women into a building.

"Ugh, Natsu, are we there yet?" A muffled voice came from inside one of Natsu's rucksacks.

"Huh? Oh, hey buddy! We took a detour, c'mon out, we got some food!" Natsu smiled, slinging the bag off of his shoulder and out he pulled a sleepy blue cat.

"Did your cat just talk!?" Lucy gasped in surprise as she watched the cat rub at his eyes with his paws.

"Why wouldn't I be able to talk? Natsu, who is this?" The cat asked in a curious voice.

"This is Lucy, Lucy, this is Happy!" Natsu's smile was wide as he proudly introduced the two.

"U-um, sorry, nice to meet you, Happy." Lucy stammered and the blue cat blinked at her.

"Natsu, she's weird."

"I know buddy but she's giving us _food_!" Natsu looked eagerly down at the menu in front of him.

"Hey!" Lucy protested but her voice went unheard by the two boys across from her. Lucy noticed that, though Natsu was muscular, he and Happy, were on the thinner side. Lucy supposed that was due to the fact that they were nomads; people treated them so poorly, it must be hard to survive with such a name branded on them. She instantly felt guilty about her lavish life and thought how much the two would probably love to have had something like she did. _Maybe I am being childish…_

"So, does it matter what we get?" Natsu questioned, eyeing her.

"No, get whatever you want, please! It's the least I can do after your help."

"You don't need to tell us twice!" Natsu smirked and their table was soon covered in a spread of multiple heaping piles of food.

"U-um… I didn't know you guys would eat so much…" Lucy trailed off knowing the bill would put quite a dent in her jewel stash. But, Lucy found herself smiling at how happy Natsu and Happy looked. She decided that she'd let them have their fill, she didn't need the money, she'd be making her own soon somehow.

"So, what brings you to Balsam?" Natsu eventually asked in between shoveling chicken into his mouth.

"Well… I-I just decided I'd like to travel for a while? I think I want to end up in Magnolia but… I'm not really sure what I'm doing." Lucy confessed and Natsu looked surprised.

"Huh. That's where Happy and I are headed but, we decided we were gonna stop in every town in this kingdom. See the sites, ya know?" Natsu explained and Lucy felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach.

"That's honestly all I want to do. I want to see everything; I've been cooped up for so long in the mans- I mean… Yeah. I just want to see the world." Lucy sighed and Natsu eyed her intriguingly.

"Well, then it's settled. You can travel with Happy and I!" Natsu flashed her another toothy grin and Lucy stared back at him in surprise.

"R-really?"

"You bet! You're okay with it, right Happy?" Natsu looked down at his small companion seated next to him.

"Aye!" Came the reply and Lucy felt a smile forming on her lips, a full, genuine smile that she hadn't had in years.

"'Course as long as you don't mind associating with people like us…" Natsu's voice was suddenly quiet seemingly uncharacteristic for his boyish demeanor. "No offense but ya seem more of a higher class than we are."

"W-why would I care? I don't care what people think. I think it's barbaric that there is such discrimination in this hierarchy in the kingdom." Lucy thought angrily. "If people start thinking of me as a nomad then, so be it. I swore that I'd make a life for myself and I suppose this is my beginning."

"Well, then welcome aboard Team Natsu!" Natsu laughed in delight, extending his hand for her to shake.

"I'll be glad to be part of the team."

After an hour or so of watching Natsu and Happy devour everything in their sight, Lucy grudgingly paid the rather large bill and headed back out into the chilly afternoon air. It was just beginning to get dark where the stars were peaking through a purplish blue hue of a sky. Lucy breathed in the crisp, blossom scented breeze and felt excited about her new life. It had only been one day and she already had more of an adventure than she had ever had in her life. _I wonder if Father has noticed that I've left yet…_

"Uh… Well, I'm not sure about you but, we gotta set up camp somewhere before it gets too dark." Natsu awkwardly interrupted Lucy's thoughts.

"Oh, sorry for spacing out! No, I have a room at the Inn by the edge of town, please, you can both stay with me." Lucy offered and the boys perked up.

"Wow, we've never been in there!" Happy piped up, an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Me either! So, let's go check it out!" Lucy lead them back towards the town's entrance finally finding the large building. As they walked through the entrance, she noticed staff and other patrons of the hotel eyeing Natsu and Happy with hard glares. She was suddenly met by the concierge that was behind the desk.

"Ah, um, I'm sorry but," She stepped closer to Lucy, "We can't serve their _kind_ here."

"Excuse me?" Lucy countered feeling taken aback.

"It's alright, we're used to it, Lucy." Natsu muttered suddenly finding the ground very interesting.

"That's not acceptable." Lucy put a hard stare on the short, black haired woman. Lucy gestured for the woman to go back over to her desk. "Do I need to speak to your manager or do I need to use my status to allow my friends to stay with me?" Lucy whispered furiously. She absolutely _hated_ that she was already threatening her status on this poor woman but, Lucy was not used to such scrutiny against people just for the way they _look_. It was unbelievable. "Why don't you take another look at who's name my room is under?" Lucy advised quietly, making sure that Natsu and Happy didn't hear their conversation. She watched as the woman flipped through the log book and finally found Lucy's room number, her eyes growing wide.

"I'm so sorry Miss Heart-"

"Shh!" Lucy hushed. "Just let us go to my room." Lucy growled and the woman nodded and Lucy turned back to the boys, a smile plastered on her face.

"Good news. There's no problem, let's go!" Natsu looked at her in surprise and Happy suddenly sprouted wings and floated along side them.

"Geez, you're scary!" Happy exclaimed.

"And you have wings?! What the hell?" Lucy looked at him in wonder.

"Happy's an Exceed. He's pretty special." Natsu smiled at the little blue cat fondly.

"You learn something new everyday I suppose." Lucy decided. They climbed the stairs up to her room and piled inside the small space.

"So, how'd you get us to be able to stay here too? To be honest I didn't even think they'd let us inside the doorway, usually people take one look at us and tell us to leave. We usually steer clear of people but, we wanted to do some exploring…" Natsu ventured, his eyes travelling around the room.

"Uh, well, you know, just a little mistake! I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it. I just explained to them that you were my friends and-"

"We're your friends?" Natsu suddenly asked looking at her intensely.

"W-well yeah, I think we're friends. We're going to be traveling together after all so, why not be friends?" Lucy stammered unable to meet Natsu's deep stare.

"It's been a long time since we had friends…" Natsu mumbled and Lucy felt it was more to himself rather than to her.

"To be honest… You guys will be the first real friends I've ever had…" _Other than the others back at the mansion but, Natsu looks like he's my age and that means I actually have a friend who's my age that isn't being forced into marrying me!_

"Really?" Happy wondered, his eyes focused on her.

"Yup. So, I guess we've got each other now, right?" Lucy smiled at them, Natsu still staring at her with such a severe look in his eyes.

"Aye!" Happy chirped and happily curled up on Lucy's bed.

"Thank you." Natsu then spoke up quietly, his gaze fixated at Lucy's face making her cheeks heat up.

"F-for what?"

"For being kind and not judging us when everyone else did." Natsu admitted, his feet shuffling awkwardly on the wooden floor.

"I'm only doing what is right and what my heart tells me to do. My mother always told me to be kind to everyone and kindness will find its way back to you." Lucy gave a small smile imagining her mother seated on her bed and Lucy curled up on her lap as she read her bedtime stories.

"She sounds like a nice person." Natsu smiled slightly back at her.

"She was." Lucy agreed and a silence fell upon the room until Lucy excused herself to get changed in the bathroom. She didn't know what it was about the two but, she felt as though she had known them forever. _Mama, if you were here, I know that you'd like Natsu and Happy. I'm really happy now, I think I know what I'm going to do._

Lucy returned to the main room and was about to tell them there was a spare bed in the couch but, instead, she found that Natsu was passed out, snoring lightly across the plush comforter of the bed with Happy curled up on a pillow. Lucy smiled, not caring where she slept at that point, she was tired and ready for sleep. She quietly unfolded the pullout bed from the loveseat and snuggled down with her blanket and pillow, quickly drifting off into a sudden sleep.

 _Lucy was running, running like she never had before. Her heart was racing and sweat drenched her entire body. The sickly black fog was closing in on her and it seemed like, no matter how fast she ran, she was not going to get away from it._

 _"Lucy, you can't keep running!" A voice taunted her from the tendrils of shadows._

 _"No, I won't come back! You can't take me away!" Lucy answered in a strained voice and the voice just cackled. Suddenly, she tripped and the shadows enveloped her, suffocating her airways. She flipped onto her back, facing the fog head on and shrieked as it took the form of her father, a sadistic grin spread wide across his face._

 _"Welcome back, Lucy."_

Lucy woke with a jolt and gasping for breath. She felt sweat saturating her night blouse and was met with the concerned stares of Natsu and Happy in the early morning light.

"You alright? We heard ya screamin', kind of, in your sleep…" Natsu asked her worriedly and Lucy quickly took in a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"I-I'm fine now, thank you. Just a nightmare." Lucy drew a shaky hand through her tangled hair, nodding at the boys and quickly paced to the bathroom to take a shower. _I'm so afraid he's going to find me… Father…_


End file.
